Kukulcán Open Quetzaltenango 2026

Inside the Salón Municipal de La Esperanza, the rhythmic clack of plastic pieces against plastic tables filled the hall from the earliest rounds to the final podium calls. Solvers gathered in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala for Kukulcán Open Quetzaltenango 2026, where seventeen disciplines challenged hands and minds across three full days of play. From September 11 to September 13 in the 2026 speedcubing season, competitors moved through solving stations under the close watch of judges, managing inspection limits, timers, and the intricate mechanics of their puzzles.

The Friday schedule tested competitors with complex disciplines requiring intense concentration. Memory and spatial planning took centre stage during the blindfolded events, where participants must memorise the piece layout before covering their eyes to solve without visual feedback. Gabriel Barrios delivered an exceptional performance in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, securing 33 out of 41 solved cubes in a time of 57:55. Daniel Baeza followed closely with 17 of 22 cubes in 59:26, while Joel Hernández of El Salvador claimed third position by completing 7 out of 8 cubes in 49:10.

Action broadened on Saturday as the mid-sized puzzles and specialized formats entered the rotation. In the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest, where participants analyze a scrambled cube to find the shortest possible solution sequence, Pablo Say emerged victorious with an efficient count of 31 moves. Daniel Baeza and Carlos Luis Guerra Ramírez shared the second spot with identical tallies of 36 moves each, demonstrating how varied approaches can yield matched totals in this demanding branch of competitive speed cubing.

Saturday also witnessed sharp blindfolded individual performances on larger layers. Daniel Baeza captured the top spot in 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a winning time of 3:46.79, outpacing Gabriel Barrios, who clocked 4:30.74 for second place. Estheban Heredia, Sergio Bulux, and Carlos Luis Guerra Ramírez each recorded an uncompleted attempt in the round. Later in the standard single-handed events, Gabriel Barrios prevailed in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 15.62 seconds, finishing ahead of Aldo José Gramajo de León at 16.37 seconds and Shalóm Melquisedec Batz Rodríguez at 17.41 seconds.

Beyond the hunt for podium places, Kukulcán Open Quetzaltenango 2026 highlighted major breakthroughs across the roster of competitors taking on new challenges. Elver Francisco González Mejía entered eight disciplines, logging a first attempt at Square-1 with 45.55 and Megaminx with 1:47.55, alongside an eleventh-place finish in Clock where a 11.45 personal best cut 40.9 percent off his previous mark. Moisés de Jesús Chay Norato took on the classic cube and lowered his personal record by 38.8 percent to 20.84 seconds. Itai Abinoam Tzay Morales posted personal bests across Pyraminx at 5.51, Megaminx at 1:08.82, and Skewb at 6.38, improving those marks by 35.5 percent, 32.1 percent, and 23.7 percent respectively. Erick Rosales Boj finished fifth in Square-1, shaving 33.2 percent off his personal best down to 18.83 seconds after attempting Pyraminx for the first time in 8.72 seconds.

The tournament also offered an ideal stage for fresh faces and wide event programs. Byron Juan Diego Tahay Lemus tackled thirteen events, placing fifth in Megaminx while recording first attempts in 7x7x7 Cube at 4:12.73, 6x6x6 Cube at 3:15.38, and Square-1 at 55.51. José Rubén Juárez Vásquez took on ten events, finishing seventh in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind and trying 3x3x3 Blindfolded for the first time with a 4:23.39 result. Daniel Estuardo Orozco Fuentes made his first WCA competition appearance across six events, posting a first attempt of 6.89 in Pyraminx to claim 23rd place. Dulce Nancy Gabriella López Sandoval also entered her first official cubing competition, taking on five disciplines including 3x3x3 One-Handed in 35.98 seconds and finishing 20th in Skewb.

When Sunday arrived, the pace accelerated toward the final showdowns on the main stage. The 2x2x2 Cube saw rapid-fire solving, where Juan Marcos López Pérez earned first place with a 2.79-second average, keeping Shalóm Melquisedec Batz Rodríguez in second at 3.04 seconds and Manuel Aleandro Chang Pérez in third at 3.29 seconds. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Aldo José Gramajo de León took the title with a mark of 33.98 seconds, closely pursued by Daniel Escobar with 34.46 seconds and Shalóm Melquisedec Batz Rodríguez with 36.71 seconds.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded contest concluded with Gabriel Barrios taking top honours in a swift 18.36 seconds, followed by Daniel Baeza at 42.52 seconds and Carlos Luis Guerra Ramírez at 58.78 seconds. In the primary Rubik's Cube category, the final 3x3 results crowned Shalóm Melquisedec Batz Rodríguez as champion after an impressive 8.38-second winning average. Gabriel Barrios took second place with a 9.78 average, narrowly edging Daniel Escobar, who secured third on 9.88 seconds.

Across the entire weekend at Kukulcán Open Quetzaltenango 2026, competitors from Guatemala amassed 53 podium finishes alongside one podium for El Salvador. The three days of intense solving in Quetzaltenango provided a comprehensive showcase of precision, speed, and versatility across every official puzzle format.